Life

  Life it seems, is never uncomplicated AND we are always getting into new messes.  I keep worrying about tomorrow...the next assignment for my course to teach intermediates....if I'm going to get enough hours for EI this summer....when my LTO will end.  Then you get the answers and start worrying about something else.  Meanwhile time is passing.
  How can it be spring.  The winter went by so fast and now I have an 11month old?!  (Which doesn't seem that old, until I realize it's only a month from being ONE YEAR!)  Oh baby, baby boy what happened?  Which is about enough to make me realize that the next minute I turn around he'll be almost three, just like big sis!
  Speaking of sisters, my little one had a birthday a few days ago.  Is is possible that she's 23?  Seriously?  I swear it was just five minutes ago we were playing with Kirsten and Samanatha our American Girl Dolls.  And now we are like 12 hours apart with jobs responsibilities and worries...oh yes, I did say at one point that I was going to quit worrying.
  We are in the midst of planning for a big birthday bash here at the Ryan's.  We are going to celebrate the kiddos birthday's together, since they are only a few weeks apart.  It's so true you do EVERYTHING for the first and the second is neglected.  Well, I've been trying to not do the whole neglected thing (just ask my sister, you then turn out as the "perfect" one), but it is a little less fanfare the second time around.  All the grandparents were about 5 seconds away when Emma was born, but Tommy didn't get his first visit until a day later for 1/2 the set and the other set waited a week.  Yes, that was partly a matter of circumstance, but I'm sure it will be fodder for the guilt game all children play when they hit teenagehood.
  Anyway back to the party.  We had a 1st party for Emma with all the trimmings, so of course I can't neglect Tommy.  We will celebrate on his actual birthday, but the only one who will really appreciate a party is Emma so we are going to roll them into one.  (I'm sure in future years their birthday's only being 2 weeks apart will also appear as ammunition in that "war," but I've got plenty of time to worry that one over.)  Or do I?  It is only 10 years away.  (ummm, Yikes...)  Ten years ago I was failing my first driver's test AND I still remember those tears like they are still falling.  Especially considering, Emma took her John Deere Gator out for a test drive tonight and completely failed the whole steering/using the foot pedal thing at the same time.  Funny to the adults in the picture, but very unnerving for the driver.  Good thing poor Tommy wasn't in with her, although from the squeals emitting from his mouth, he sure wanted to be!
  Isn't it after all those complications, like learning to parallel park, in my case, or in Emma's figuring out the whole steering and gas mechanisms that make life interesting?